Television schedule system and method of operation for multiple program occurrences

ABSTRACT

An improved television guide system. According to one embodiment of the invention, television guide information is provided that includes multiple occurrences of a single show. The guide system of the present invention allows the user to identify a show and, thereafter, identify when the identified show will be played again. Accordingly, the user may more easily select shows for viewing or recordation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/639,837filed Dec. 15, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,543,320, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 11/389,805 filed Mar. 27, 2006, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,162,729, which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/762,924filed Jan. 22, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,549, which is incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 10/256,469, filed Sep. 27, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No.6,701,527, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/055,533,filed Jan. 22, 2002, now abandoned, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 09/841,137, filed Apr. 24, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No.6,341,374, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/344,274,filed Jun. 30, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,176, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 09/120,704, filed Jul. 22, 1998,now U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,688, which is a continuation of application Ser.No. 08/665,216, filed Jun. 14, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,787.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of television schedule guidesand their method of operation. More specifically, in one embodiment theinvention provides a method and apparatus for identifying when aparticular show is being broadcast in a television guide system.

As video entertainment becomes increasingly sophisticated, consumers areprovided with wider options in video entertainment. In addition toconventional broadcast television programs, a television viewer may nowhave access to, for example, cable television programming, digitalsatellite service programming, cable stereo broadcast, and conventionalsatellite programming. Moreover, within each of the various transmissionmedia available to the consumer, the number and variety of programs isincreasing dramatically.

While benefiting consumers through greater selection, the array ofprogramming available to consumers also presented a certain dilemma.Specifically, as the number of programs available to the consumer becamelarge, the process of selecting which program to view becameincreasingly onerous. For example, a consumer may have access to wellover 100 cable television channels. If a particular consumer has accessto not only cable programming, but also other programming (such asdigital satellite service) the process of choosing a program would havebeen daunting.

Accordingly, new and improved methods of providing program guideinformation have been developed for display on the television screen ofthe consumer's television. Of particular note, the StarSight™ on-screenguide system has proven to be pioneering in the field of on-screen guidesystems. The StarSight system provides not only television listings, butalso capabilities such as theme searching, VCR programming, detailedprogram information, and other functionality.

Recently, additional functionality is suggested in such systems. SeeU.S. application Ser. No. 08/665,216, incorporated herein by referencefor all purposes. In one such system, guide information from, forexample, disparate sources such as satellite sources and cable sourcesis combined to form a unified guide.

A system according to this invention may, for example, eliminateredundant information from such sources and provide other functionality.

Significant strides have been made via the StarSight guide system, andin fact such guide systems are achieving widespread acceptance in thetelevision industry. As the complexity of such systems increases,however, still further functionality is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An improved television guide system is provided by virtue of the presentinvention. According to one embodiment of the invention, multipleoccurrences of a single show may be identified for a user. For example,in many digital satellite systems today, a particular movie will beplayed on multiple channels with offset start times. The guide system ofthe present invention allows the user to identify a particular show and,thereafter, identify when the identified particular show will be playedagain. The user may therefore more easily select shows for viewing orrecordation.

Accordingly, in one embodiment the invention provides a method ofgenerating television guide information for a viewer comprising thesteps of inputting schedule guide information into a guide system;receiving user input to identify a particular show in the schedule guideinformation; and identifying for the user other times when theparticular show will be shown.

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventionsherein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of thespecification and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall diagram illustrating a television system inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a typical grid guide used according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a display provided to the user when the “when-else” feature isutilized; and

FIG. 4 is an overall flowchart illustrating operation of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention utilizes television schedule guide informationwhich may be obtained from one or several sources. These sources mayinclude an incoming cable line (e.g., on a coax cable), satellitebroadcasts, a dedicated telephone line (e.g., a twisted pair), and anyother medium capable of transmitting a signal, such as a computer ormodem line. Although the invention will find wide use in systems withonly a single source of television signals, such as a satellite system,the invention will be illustrated herein primarily in relation to asystem here broadcasts are received from at least two separate sourcessuch as (1) cable and a satellite dish, or (2) two different satellites,or (3) local cable and digital broadcast sources (DBSs), or (4) aconventional antenna and a satellite dish such as a DBS source, or (5)one of the above sources and an Internet or other computer source. Themulti-source schedule information is sorted and displayed to the user inan organized fashion as described in greater detail in U.S. applicationSer. No. 08/423,410, incorporated herein by reference.

When a user selects a show within a displayed guide, the system reads asource identifier associated with that show or channel. In the preferredembodiment, the system then carries out an automatic switching/tuningprocess that switches the input to the television (either RF or video)to a source device. Exemplary source devices include a DBS, a cable box,a television tuner, an Internet access, etc. The system then tunes tothe required channel for the desired show. Additionally, the sourceidentifier can be utilized to switch between various devicesautomatically when unattended VCR programming is desired. Furthermore,when program information is received from multiple satellite sources anda desired channel is selected, the present invention can, in oneembodiment, automatically move the customer's satellite dish such thatthe customer receives the desired program from the associated source.The present invention then tunes to the correct channel.

In creating a merged television guide, a channel map is created whichidentifies the channels available on the multiple sources, andidentifies their source. For example, in the case of DBS/local channelimplementations, a channel map is created with both local cable and DBSchannels merged. The local channels and the DBS channels are tagged witha source identifier. This merged guide information is used by the systemto identify when a particular show is to be played, even when it is notfrom the same source as another instance of the same show.

When the user/consumer selects a non-DBS channel from the guide, theintegrated receiver decoder unit (IRD box) for the satellite switchesthe IRD to couple the local cable, for example, to the receiver. Thesystem then tunes the television tuner or other tuning device to therequired channel. If a DBS channel is later selected, the systemswitches the IRD to couple the satellite receiver/decoder to thereceiver. The system then tunes the DBS tuner to the selected DBSchannel. In the case of, for example, cable and antenna inputs, thesystem switches to the correct video input and then tunes the televisiontuner to the required channel for receiving the selected source. Thus,automatic access to multi-source television schedule guide informationis provided.

While the present invention is illustrated herein primarily in relationto a system in which the merged guide is formed at the user's location,it will be understood that this is only for the purposes ofillustration, and the merged guide may be formed at a remote locationsuch as a cable head-end.

FIG. 1 illustrates in simplified form an example of a multi-sourcetelevision schedule guide system 10 with multiple sources connecteddirectly or indirectly to a television 12 and/or VCR 13. In theembodiment in FIG. 1, multi-source television program and televisionschedule guide system 10 operates under the control of coordinator 14.Television 12 and VCR 13 are provided with inputs from cable box 16 andDBS source 18 either directly as illustrated in FIG. 1, or viacoordinator 14. Other inputs 20 may also be supplied to the televisionand/or VCR directly or via the coordinator 14. A remote control 22 isused by a viewer to tune the television and conduct other operations. Inalternative embodiments, a keyboard, such as a computer keyboard, isused for input. The keyboard may be hard-wire connected or wireless.

In this embodiment, cable is provided via cable box 16, and DBS isprovided via IRD box 18. Antennae 24 may be used as additional sourcesof television broadcasts along with cable box 16, IRD box 18, and otherinputs 20. In one typical embodiment, antenna 24 and cable box 16 wouldbe considered “local” sources meaning that they likely contain localtelevision broadcasts such as local news broadcasts. By contrast, DBSsources would not be considered local because they would likely notcontain such local content.

Other inputs 20 can include multiple satellite sources. When multiplesatellite sources are present, coordinator 14 switches between theavailable satellite sources by automatically moving the user's satellitedish or switching between satellite dishes. In order to automaticallymove the satellite dish, a memory within IRD box 18 (or elsewhere)tracks the position of the DBS satellite dish in relation to satellitesources which are available via the DBS satellite dish. The IRD box 18then automatically positions the DBS satellite dish such that thedesired satellite source is received by the IRD box 18.

Coordinator 14 includes processor (CPU) 26 and memory (typically RAM) 28that serve as the primary devices for operating the system. In the casewhere the various television signal sources are provided to thecoordinator, the coordinator may also contain elements such as aninternal tuner, a switching device for switching between sources, andother components. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the coordinator isconnected to and controls infrared (IR) emitter(s) 30. IR receiver 31 isconnected to coordinator 14 and receives input from the remote orkeyboard 22 to provide the necessary user input to the system. IRemitter(s) 30 can be replaced by, for example, a hard wired interface, abus interface, or an RF transmitter. The IR emitter(s) 30 and/or directconnections (e.g., 31) control one or more of IRD box 18, television 12,VCR 13, cable box 16, and other inputs 20. IR emitter(s) 30 acts as aremote control device by emulating remote control signals of television12, VCR 13, cable box 16, and/or other devices. Coordinator 14 can, insome embodiments, be placed in, for example, the cable box 16, VCR 13,television 12, a satellite receiver or even the keyboard/computer.

Remote control 22 is a hand-held remote controller for controllingcoordinator 14. In the preferred embodiment, remote control 22 isprovided with an IR transmitter which controls the coordinator via IRreceiver 31. Other remote controls, not shown in FIG. 1, can be used formanually controlling television 12, VCR 13, cable box 16, IRD box 18,and other inputs 20 although, in a preferred embodiment, coordinator 14performs all the necessary control functions of the system. For example,as the user adjusts the volume control on remote 22, coordinator 14emits signals through IR emitter 30 to adjust the volume in television12.

IRD box 18 receives television programs along with other informationvia, in one embodiment, satellite dish 32. IRD box 18 and the othersources of television signals each provide program schedule informationto the system. This program schedule information (or guide) may alsoinclude a channel map that contains the channel information indicatingwhich channels are available on that source. Information associated withthe DBS guide and others is saved in the IRD box receiver's RAM ordownloaded to the coordinator 14. Similarly, program guide informationcan be received through cable box 16, other inputs 20, antennae 24,and/or through any other transmission medium (e.g., dedicated twistedpair telephone line). Each of these sources may also be provided withtelevision schedule data within the signal transmitted by the serviceprovider.

Coordinator 14 finds and sorts the program guide information availablein system 10. Various formats can be used for the television scheduleinformation. For example, data packets comprising a simple headersection and an information section can be received and sorted withother, more complex data packet formats, or a header with sourceinformation can be added. In the preferred embodiment, coordinator 14takes the television schedule information from the available source(s)or a data input line and sorts/mixes it. For example, coordinator 14 mayreceive program schedule information via the vertical blanking intervalin a television channel or via a transponder for the DBS, or theInternet, and then arrange the information in an organized fashion, orperform other operations. For example, the system may eliminateduplicate channels.

In an alternative arrangement, the sorting/mixing of program scheduleinformation is done in a separate location and then provided to system10, for example, on a simple satellite channel. Thus, program scheduleinformation, which has already been mixed, sorted, organized, etc., isreceived in a format which is ready for display. Thisready-for-immediate-display format can also be provided in a separatedata stream via a different medium or on a television channel.

FIG. 2 is a simplified example of an on-screen display of a schedulegrid guide that has been assembled from the television guideinformation. This display may be presented on a television screen, apersonal computer that conducts the overall process, or a televisionsensor display generated by a personal computer. In the preferredembodiment, after coordinator 14 has collected and sorted all theavailable program guide information, coordinator 14 generates the gridguide set forth in FIG. 2 for display on television 12 via, for example,a direct connection (not shown) to TV 12 or via an overlay on one of thesources such as cable source 16. In the preferred embodiment, the userdisplays grid guide 40 by pressing a guide button on remote control 22.Coordinator 14 responds to the initial pressing of the guide button byautomatically tuning to the channel or device which carries grid guide40, or overlaying a grid guide in a current broadcast. When the user isdone with grid guide 40, the user presses the guide button again (or anexit button) and coordinator 14 (1) automatically returns to the channelor source last viewed by the user or (2) removes the overlay.

The grid guide, designated generally with the reference numeral 40,provides a line up of all channels or a selection of channels 42 alongwith a description of the shows 44 available on those channels atcertain times 46. For example, the USA network is showing BATMANbeginning at 2:00 p.m. A SOAP is shown on NBC from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00p.m., followed by NEWS. The information may be sorted and/or filteredby, for example, theme(s) according to Young et al., U.S. Pat. No.4,706,121, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

When multiple sources are used for receiving television channels, anoverlap of channels sometimes occurs. For example, both cable and DBSmay carry the network NBC, but cable may have NBC on channel 6 and DBSmay have NBC on channel 7. By having the ability to delete and activatethe channels displayed in grid guide 40, the user can determine whetherto display one of the NBC channels, both of the NBC channels, or neitherof the NBC channels. In an alternative embodiment, coordinator 14 mayautomatically note duplicate network names and delete one of theduplicates.

The user may utilize the remote control device to move a cursor or otherindicator from position to position in the grid guide. The cursor may beindicated by, for example, coloring the display of the indicated showdifferently from the rest of the shows. In the embodiment shown in FIG.2, the cursor is directed to GONE WITH THE WIND and is indicated bycross hatching. In this particular instance the double marks to the leftof the display indicate that GONE WITH THE WIND has been playing forsome period of time already. Accordingly, the user may wish to find outif the movie GONE WITH THE WIND is showing at other times such that theuser may either automatically record the future presentation of GONEWITH THE WIND, automatically tune to the future presentation of GONEWITH THE WIND, or simply be aware that GONE WITH THE WIND will beshowing at a future time.

Accordingly, the user provides input to the system to indicate that theuser would like to know “when-else” the show will be presented. Thisinput may be, for example, provided by pressing a dedicated button onthe remote control, or by marking a show, toggling the cursor to a“when-else” screen display button 48, and striking an “enter” button onthe remote control. Of course a full keyboard will allow more versatileoperation.

In either event the controller 14 searches the stored scheduleinformation for other occurrences of that particular show. As usedherein, the term “particular show” refers to a specific movie or otherunique show. In the case of a series of shows (e.g., the COSBY SHOW) theterm “particular show” will refer to a specific segment or episode ofthat show. In the example in FIG. 2 the system searches for otheroccurrences of GONE WITH THE WIND and indicates to the user if, when,and where GONE WITH THE WIND will be played again. The particular showmay or may not be shown again on the same source of video. Of course, a“show” may also refer to, for example, an FM radio broadcast as well asa television show.

FIG. 3 illustrates one possible outcome after entering the “when-else”button. As shown, the movie GONE WITH THE WIND is being played atmultiple times in the future. Specifically, it is currently being shownon HBO 1 as the user is probably already aware if the screen has beenentered from a grid guide generated for the current time. In addition,the same channel is showing this movie at 11:00 p.m. on the same day. Adifferent channel, HBO 2, is showing this movie at 11:30 p.m. on thesame day. In this particular illustration, HBO 1 and HBO 2 are providedto the user over the same source of television signals (in this case acable service provider). Accordingly, it is seen that the invention isuseful even when only a single source of service is utilized. Theusefulness of the invention is further expanded when multiple sources oftelevision signals are provided. In this example, GONE WITH THE WIND isalso being shown on the next Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. on a DSS channel, aswell as on the next Thursday on a conventional antenna network signal,NBC. Accordingly, when a particular show is played at different timesthe user may make use of this information, even when the show isbroadcast over different sources of television signals.

Still other sources of the particular show (or information about theshow) may be indicated. For example, in FIG. 4, the guide indicates an“Internet” source. Toggling to this source may provide the user with adirect Internet connection that will, for example, provide informationabout the show or download the full show itself. Alternatively,advertising about the availability of the show at a video store(Blockbuster) may be provided.

After identifying when a show is to be played the user may conduct anyone of several operations. In a common case the user will toggle thecursor down to a particular instance of the show, and strike a “record”button on the remote control. The system will then tune the VCR to theproper program at the designated time and record the show. In otherembodiments, the user will mark the show to be placed in a reminderlist. When the time for the show in the reminder list arises the systemwill either tune automatically to that show, or prompt the user todetermine if the user wishes to have the television tuned to thatparticular channel. In other cases, the user may use the information forthe purpose of recalling that he/she wishes to return to the televisionat that particular time.

FIG. 4 is an overall flowchart illustrating operation of the inventionaccording to one particular embodiment. In most cases the operationshown in FIG. 4 will be performed under the direction of software storedon a RAM, ROM, or other computer-readable memory such as memory 28. Thedata may be stored locally, in an external database, or in a combinationof both. In step 401 the system receives input indicating that the userwishes to identify other instances of a particular show. At step 402 thesystem searches for other instances of the particular show beginning atthe present time. It should be recognized that the user may or may notbe in a current time display in a guide when such input is provided. Forexample, the user may be scanning a listing of action movies that havebeen generated based on a theme search, and have the cursor on aninstance of a particular movie one week in the future. When the useractivates the “when-else” function the system will, in most embodiments,search for all instances of that particular show beginning at the actualpresent time, not the time one week in the future. In this manner theuser may, for example, identify when a particular movie is showing inthe next few hours, even though the user may have his/her interestpeaked in a particular show based on a listing at a distant date.

In some embodiments, sources are searched in the stored guideinformation to identify other instances of a particular show. The searchmay be performed locally or externally, and may be based on showidentity fields, or on term-based searching, or a combination of thetwo. After the other instances of that particular show have beenidentified, a display is generated at step 404 that includes a listingof the other instances of the particular show. If none are identified,the display can either contain no such listings, or indicatespecifically to the user that no such listings have been identified.

Thereafter, at step 406 the user may perform any one of a wide varietyof functions. Commonly the user may toggle down to an instance of theshow, and strike a record button, or otherwise select the show forrecordation. In other cases the user may simply return to the previousguide listing. In still other cases the user may toggle down to aninstance of the show, and mark it for a future reminder to be generatedfor the user when that instance of the show arises. In still furtherembodiments, the system may store the request and, even if no otherinstances of the particular show are presently in the guide, providealerts to the user when instances of the show are added to the guide.

The above description is illustrative and not restrictive. Manyvariations of the invention will become apparent to those of skill inthe art upon review of this disclosure. Merely by way of example theinvention has been illustrated primarily with regard to multiple sourceguide systems, but the invention is not so limited. The scope of theinvention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to theabove description, but instead should be determined with reference tothe appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing a listing of instances ofa show accessible from a plurality of sources, the method comprising:receiving, with receiver circuitry, guide information; storing the guideinformation, wherein the stored guide information comprises merged guideinformation associated with a first source of the plurality of sourcesand a second source of the plurality of sources; receiving an indicationof a particular show that is identified by the merged guide information;storing the received indication of the particular show; and responsiveto determining that another instance of the particular show has beenadded to the stored guide information, providing an alert thatidentifies the another instance of the particular show.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: causing the merged guide information to bedisplayed; and receiving an input for selecting the particular show fromthe displayed guide.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sourceis an Internet source or a video vendor source.
 4. The method of claim 1further comprising recording the another instance of the particular showthat is added to the guide information.
 5. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising switching an input of a user equipment device to a sourcedevice signal carrying the particular show.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the indicated particular show is provided by the first sourceand the another instance of the show that is added is provided by thesecond source.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert comprisesinformation about the particular show represented by an instance addedto the guide information.
 8. A system for providing a listing ofinstances of a show accessible from a plurality of sources, the systemcomprising: a receiver operable to: receive guide information; and storethe guide information, wherein the stored guide information comprisesmerged guide information associated with a first source of the pluralityof sources and a second source of the plurality of sources; and controlcircuitry operable to: receive an indication of a particular show thatis identified by the merged guide information; store the receivedindication of the particular show; and responsive to determining thatanother instance of the particular show has been added to the storedguide information, provide an alert that identifies the another instanceof the particular show.
 9. The system of claim 8 further comprising: adisplay monitor that displays the merged guide information; and whereinthe control circuitry is further operable to receive a selection for theparticular show from the displayed guide.
 10. The system of claim 8,wherein the first source is an Internet source or a video vendor source.11. The system of claim 8 wherein the control circuitry is furtheroperable to record the another instance of the particular show that isadded to the guide information.
 12. The system of claim 8 wherein thecontrol circuitry is further operable to switch an input of a userequipment device to a source device signal carrying the particular show.13. The system of claim 8 wherein the indicated particular show isprovided by the first source and the another instance of the show thatis added is provided by the second source.
 14. The system of claim 8,wherein the alert comprises information about the particular showrepresented by an instance added to the guide information.